Skip to content

COTTON USA Executive Delegation Highlights U.S. Cotton’s Quality to China and Pakistan Textile Mill Leaders

Global

An eight-member COTTON USA Executive Delegation traveled with Cotton Council International (CCI) to Dubai, UAE, and Qingdao, China, to participate in conferences emphasizing U.S. cotton’s quality to China and Pakistan textile mill leadership and conduct meetings with key mill partners.

The COTTON USA Quality Conference encouraged participants to “Take a Closer Look at U.S. Cotton” and engage in active dialogue about their experience with using U.S. cotton fiber in their mills. The Executive Delegation participants gave presentations about the sustainability, quality, transparency and premium value of U.S. cotton to show how U.S. cotton can help textile mills prosper. They also fielded questions from the mill attendees. When asked about areas that the U.S. cotton industry can improve, the mills mentioned bale packaging, contamination, stickiness with Pima cotton, fiber uniformity, neps, and differences in classing data and cotton received.

“The Executive Delegation will use what we learned to strengthen our industry’s commitment to supplying our textile mill customers with the Cotton the World Trusts,” CCI President Eduardo Esteve said. 

The Delegation’s first stop was Dubai, where the members had a private meeting with the leadership of the Pakistani textile industry in addition to speaking at the Quality Conference. Thirty-one representatives from 27 mills attended the Dubai conference, as well as nine exporter agents.

Ehsan Malik, Chief Executive Officer of the Pakistan Business Council, gave a keynote speech at the Quality Conference with an overview of the Pakistani business environment and opportunities to improve business relations between Pakistan, the U.S. and other important markets.

In China, the Delegation participated in the second Quality Conference and visited a textile mill in Zibo, Shandong Province, met with government officials in Beijing (CNTAC and CCA) as well as had a private dinner with leading Chinese textile mills. 

Fifty-five participants from 38 textile mills attended the conference in China. Among the 38 participating mills, 67% were first-time attendees while the others had also attended the conference in 2016. The participating mills’ cotton usage in 2016 was 1.8 million bales and U.S cotton usage was 193,405 bales, which accounts for 26% and 73% of total China industry consumption respectively.

Ye Jianchun, Vice President of China Cotton Textile Association, gave the keynote speech at the Quality Conference and talked about the demand and requirements of Chinese cotton textile enterprises for cotton quality. The 2017 COTTON USA Executive Delegation participants included: Eduardo Esteve, Cotton Council International President; Jeff Johnson, ACSA Chairman; Raymond Faus, ACSA Vice Chairman; Keith Lucas, AMCOT; American Cotton Producers representatives Nathan Reed (Board of Directors, National Cotton Council) and Brent Nelson (Secretary Treasurer, Plains Cotton Growers Association); Matthew Ryan, ICE Senior Director, Global Soft Commodities; and Marc Lewkowitz, Supima President & CEO.